–Preface–

The following text is part of a series documenting my time in Tucson, AZ, in the Spring of 2025, for Augustine Fong’s Wing Chun Gung Fu Federation Annual Seminar. The series is broken into short digestible parts, some describing my experience in Tucson generally, and some with detailed notes from the seminar.

The Seminar – More Chi Sau Notes

Throughout the seminar, we would stand and practice chi sau with a partner. Generally, we would try to work with a different partner each time. I found the groups near the rear of the gym, the Europe group and the Chicago group, tended to work together. I ended up working with a few people repeatedly. Finally, one of Sifu Fong’s instructors, Rob, invited my to roll. I felt this went very well.

I started slow, as before, and tried to relax. We went through the chi sau “breaks” as Sifu Fong had introduced them in the seminar (to be clear, Sifu Fong didn’t call them breaks). This quickly evolved into a free flow chi sau, with a growing intensity. I really enjoyed this, because it allowed me to put some of the new ideas or points of focus into practice. Augustine Fong, Danny, and some others stopped to watch and make comments. Sifu Fong pulled me aside and told me to try to stop blocking, and think only of attacking. This was probably the most important lesson for me at the seminar, as I began to see how Sifu Fong’s chi sau was different. It clicked, in my head. Not necessarily in my hands, but in my head – I began to understand. Rob helped me work on this a bit more before we sat down for more questions.

Sifu Fong brought the topic of constant attack up in front of the entire group. I summarized it as follows: FLOW TO HIT. DO NOT FLOW TO BLOCK. This can be developed by allowing the opponent to make entry, and instead of blocking, look for openings. When these opportunities are seized with the correct timing, the opponent is forced into the defensive.

Sifu Fong clarified that the newer student should first learn how to block, but the ultimate goal is to flow to hit.

Chi Sau Development Summary:

Single-sticky strikes – taan sau jing jeung, and fuhk sau chau kyuhn.

Initially the opponent does not defend. Then, the single sticky response is applied.

When the opponent’s response creates an opening, enter on it.

Inside paak da break – the fuhk sau crosses the center to paak, or slap, the opponents dropping fuhk sau. Meanwhile, the bong sau elbow drops and the hand strikes.

Outside paak da break – the taan sau, controlling, hand performs a change to fuhk sau, but instead performs a paak or gahm sau while the fuhk sau, riding, hand strikes.

Lap da break and other breaks.

As the responses begin, keep both hands active and searching for openings.

Maintain constant flow, transition and striking.

“Follow the line” for “knocking” or ginger fist strikes. This refers to the line of the opponents defensive technique. The ginger fist can slip past the technique and rake down the line. It can also briefly slip past and knock the opponent, like knocking on a door. This knock can be painful, but it might also be distracting.

At some point I asked about doing what I called an “inside fuhk sau.” Sifu Fong said this was the same as a laap sau. I noticed later that he called it a fuhk sau. I think people often fixate on names, and maybe they aren’t so important. Personally, I really like the way the Yip Man system has so many names for things. I think this adds to the scientific appeal of Wing Chun. Everything is named and defined, like a science. The student must remember though, that when the hands touch, the science dissolves into art. That’s my two cents, at least.

I wanted to ask about relaxing to a laap sau. I noticed when doing laap da in chi sau, many local students would respond with a bong sau. However, I also recalled applying a strong laap sau to Rob, while we were training together, and he dropped the arm into a kind of hau (back) gahm sau, as in the first section of Siu Lim Tau, and jutted his shoulder forward into an attack. I felt this sort of answered my question. The intensity of the laap, or pull, perhaps, determined the appropriate response. When I practice solo laap sau drill (I know, I’m probably the only one who does that), I often perform a gahm sau to simulate being the recipient of a laap, so Rob’s response made sense to me. It was a sort of forced relaxation, or extension.

Discussions and Explorations

I was asking around about my father’s teacher, Roy Undem. I learned that Roy was well remembered by Simou and others, but no one seemed to have a picture of him. Sifu Lee Keener told me a story about how he had slept at the school for a time while learning. At this time the school was at the “Speedway location.” I didn’t think of it at the time, but I now presume this meant it was near the Tucson Speedway racetrack. After Lee left, Roy came in his place. At some point, a car crashed through the building the school was housed in, and almost killed Roy. I’ve done some research, and suspect Roy now lives in Phoenix, but no one seemed to know.

Danny estimated he received his twenty-five year certificate in 1998. I looked for the 1998 picture, and located my father standing in it. Lee was sitting in front of him. My father’s sihing, or senior student, Rob, was standing next to him. Danny himself was not in the picture. At several of the seminars they would take a picture on Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes the attendees would be there for one and not the other.

Speaking of pictures, we took the seminar group picture at this time. I was able to receive a copy from a private party who took a picture. The official picture will be put up on the website at a later date.

I asked Augustine Fong to look at my forms, and he did. I only did my Chahm Kiu and Biu Ji, since we had already done Siu Lim Tau several times. Fong seemed happy with them. He said there were some minor pointers which I would get when we covered them in the seminar.

I performed my Muhk Jong (wooden dummy) form for Matthew Fong, Augustine’s son, and another student, and received a similar impression. The form as it is performed in the school has some more footwork, and a few changes. Augustine and Matthew were open about the fact that Augustine has added bits to the forms over the years. The primary difference with the dummy form was more footwork. As I understood it, Matthew said the footwork should make the technique fit the dummy. So a short bracing stance or step-slide were added here and there to create cleaner angles. We didn’t go over specifics, but I got the idea. This was similar to how Henry Ho in Zhuhai, China, performed the dummy as well.

I met with Simou, gossiped some more about some other students of Ho Kam Ming, and exchanged some shirts and got another better fitting shirt. I also had a request for a Fong Federation gym towel. I asked Simou about this, and she located two leftover in a closet. I bought them both.

I practiced a bit of chi sau after the seminar, and headed out. I heard that in some years past the attendees would meet after the seminar, but that didn’t seem to be happening this year. I imagine so many of the attendees have been to so many seminars that the festivities have dwindled considerably.

I stopped at the Vietnamese restaurant on the way to the hotel. I ordered a seafood egg noodle dry soup. This was great, and I made a mental note to order it again. I took two spring rolls to the hotel for breakfast.

At the hotel I was not very productive and went to sleep.